FRIAS Express May 2018
Dear FRIAS Community,
Many new exciting things have happened since the last issue of the FRIAS Express. We said farewell to Managing Director Carsten Dose and welcomed two new members in the FRIAS team: Alison Sauer, who will be the new anchor of the events team, and Barbara Nüssle, who will take over from Michael Graf the position of Head of Administration for finances and personnel.
From May 13-18, Executive Director Bernd Kortmann and Rector’s Fellow Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler met with colleagues in Dakar, Senegal, and at the University of Ghana, Accra, to drive forward the building of the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) and finalize the plans for the inaugural conference on September 27 and 28. In the course of these visits they also had meetings with the German ambassadors in both countries, and with representatives of DAAD and all major political foundations.
Looking ahead, June and July promise to be full of interesting workshops and conferences organized by our Fellows. Also there will be a Freiburger Horizonte talk on June 7, 2018. And, of course, we would like to repeat our warm invitation to join us for our 10-year anniversary celebration on June 29, 2018 at 2-5 p.m. in the Anatomy Lecture Hall, Albertstr. 17. If you are not able to participate in the festivities but would like to leave greetings and wishes on this occasion, you are invited to use our digital guest book. Just enter frias10 to leave your comment, video greeting, or a photo of your best FRIAS memory.
Last but not least, we are in the process of finalizing fellow agreements, arranging travel and housing to prepare for the fellow generation 2018/19 to start their fellowships in September. Once more, we are very pleased with the wide range of topics, perspectives and expertise plus, no doubt, fascinating personalities that will be present at FRIAS in the upcoming term.
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In the previous issue of the FRIAS Express, we already announced that Carsten Dose, FRIAS Managing Director since 2008, would leave the institute after ten years. During the farewell celebration, FRIAS director Bernd Kortmann thanked Carsten Dose for his devoted effort and contributions in bringing the idea of an Institute for Advanced Studies forward: “It takes special people to build such a special place, and among these Carsten has always assumed a very special position. Thank you for everything, and please accept from all of us the very, very best wishes for your future in Stuttgart!” For the Words of Farewell by Bernd Kortmann, please click 
The new round of FRIAS Lunch Lectures has started with an introductory lecture given by Matthias Groß, co-editor of the “Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies”. New this year: As of summer term 2018, students can receive 2 credits (or in more technical terms: they can receive 2 ECTS points in their “Ergänzungsbereich / Individuelle Studiengestaltung”). This second round of lectures on ignorance will cover different disciplines from the ones back in the winter term of 2016/17, but will still put challenging questions like the following at its centre: What is it that we don't know, and perhaps never will know? What is it we don't know yet, or seemingly don't want to know in the first place, or perhaps even should not want to know? The lectures take place on Thursdays between 12:15 and 13:00 in KG I (Kollegiengebäude I), lecture hall 1009. 
Nutritionists, health and life counselors commonly give the impression that a person who can control his or her feelings and actions well is more successful professionally, socially, overall happier, and even healthier. On Thursday, June 7, Psychologist Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Hommel from the University of Leiden will address the question of whether and how humans can influence their actions, such as through meditation, nutrition or brain stimulation. Traditionally, psychology distinguishes between the deliberate control of actions and automated, habitual action – a distinction that is not tenable according to recent research. Rather, differences within and between individuals’ action control are due to the fact that it can vary between focusing exclusively on one's own goals and taking strong account of situational circumstances. The lecture will be held in German. 
Even a mildly attentive reader of this issue of the FRIAS Express will have noticed that there was much talk of members of staff leaving and new members joining. Indeed, we have seen a lot of fluctuation in the FRIAS team over the past months. And more is (or rather: are) to come: as of July/August, we will be able to welcome two more new members of staff, both employed in the context of MIASA (our Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa). In ALL cases, I am proud to say, we indulged in a luxury situation in the selection process since we received top applications for every single position we had advertised. Given the booming German economy and a highly competitive HEI job market, this speaks for the attractiveness of FRIAS as an employer! Moreover, the FRIAS directorate is eagerly waiting for the signal from our university’s rectorate to start the search for a successor of Carsten Dose. All this fluctuation means that communication and certain organizational processes may not always run as smoothly in the course of the next few months as it is FRIAS standard. From September onwards, I am convinced, once the major steps in the necessary team building process have been mastered and each new member has found its place in it, things will look different again, and FRIAS will no doubt be up to old standards – well, given the exceptional quality of our new recruitments, maybe even surpass the standards of the past! In the meantime, I am asking for a little understanding and patience in your interactions with FRIAS.- FRIAS Express
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